About Us

Parkin and Jackson can draw on over 150 years of experience to make your choice that little bit easier.

Initially formed in 1855 at Orton as a family business, it has grown to cover Cumbria, South Lakes, up into the Lake District, North Yorkshire and North Lancashire. Examples of Burial grounds covered in this area are Appleby, Kirkby Stephen, Penrith, Keswick, Grasmere, Ambleside, Windermere, Grange, Ulverston, Arnside, Ingleton, Kirkby Lonsdale, Sedbergh and all Churchyards in between.

Questions often asked by clients include:

"Will Limestone or Lakeland Slate which are quarried in our area weather as well as a polished black or dark grey granite?"

"Will gold leaf (gilded) letters last longer than a painted letter?"

"Can we add a photograph (Cemeteries only) or an image, something special to our loved one to the headstone?"

"Do we talk to the Church or Cemetery?"

"Can you renovate a gravestone by adding another name and repaint or re gild existing inscriptions?".

Each family situation and request is different. At Parkin and Jackson we draw on our experience to answer your questions with care and compassion. With most memorials we produce a scaled layout showing the shape of the memorial, the style of letter, maybe a carving or a sandblasted image and the inscription. We can also design a memorial to your own specific requirement.

There are Churchyard and Cemetery regulations to comply with when choosing a memorial. We talk to the Church or Cemeteries officer on your behalf to make sure your memorial is suitable for that particular graveyard. White marble or Book memorials are not allowed in Churchyards but are okay in Cemeteries. Some Churchyards do not allow any polished faces on headstones.

Each situation is different, we clarify the stone types allowed whether Black, Dark or Light Grey granites are okay or if Limestone or Green or Blue slate is prefered.

We are full retail members of the National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM). This regulates us to comply with a code of working practise. When fixing a Headstone a small star is engraved on the back usually after a grave number or our trade name. This indicates that there is a NAMM safety ground anchor fitted, this is a solid length of Stainless steel driven 18 inches into the ground which is connected through the foundation slab into the base of the memorial, it helps to secure the headstone into the ground. These are fitted in all memorials to comply with Churchyard and Cemetery regulations.